Two key aspects of the observations by Comptroller and Auditor-General Vinod Rai, made Wednesday from the platform of the World Economic Forum in Gurgaon, are noteworthy. One, he has said that the government’s actions were characterised by “brazenness”.
This seems to be a condemnation of our parliamentary democracy as a whole. If the government was brazen, Parliament was obviously in slumber in not pointing this out. Mr Rai might have been more credible had he pointed to particular actions of the government and offered reasoned arguments to back his case. In the absence of this, he may be deemed guilty of messianic excess. This does not sit well with his high position.
Two, Mr Rai has suggested that the Central Bureau of Investigation be turned into a constitutional body. This is in the context of the charge that the CBI acts as a “handmaiden” of the government of the day. Addressing the same issue, former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar had once said India would become a “police state” if the status of the CBI, which is nothing more than a specialised police agency, was made more exalted.
The only way to free any department of the executive from political interference is to have better politicians through appropriate changes in the election laws and by holding departmental heads accountable by vigilant citizens and a supportive judiciary. The courts have curbed executive zeal when it leans towards wickedness. On the whole, Mr Rai’s comments appear to be a little too sweeping and ill-considered.